It's the Monday after Thanksgiving, also known as Cyber Monday because it's the day that many online retailers offer sales on the heels of Black Friday. Today's the perfect occasion to discuss the many online offerings and services we have for our students. We are proud to offer online diploma programs which are comprised of 18 of our online courses. If you wish to take individual online courses, you can do that too and make up credit or enrich an existing homeschool program. If you're in our paper-based diploma program or taking one of our paper-based courses on an individual basis, chances are you have the option to take your exams online since we offer online exams for most of our paper-based courses. We have an Online Student Center and Online Counselor Office where students, parents and school officials can access academic records, receive assistance and much more. As a side note, check back tomorrow to learn about the latest addition to the Online Student Center. Finally, we've made it safe and easy to enroll online. Once we receive your application, you'll be able to start working toward your accredited high school diploma in a matter of days. You may find other deals today, but you won't find one better than earning your accredited high school diploma for as little as $100 a month. Enroll today!

American School will be closed Thursday, November 26, and Friday, November 27. At this time of year, we wish to express our gratitude to the students, parents and school officials who choose to study and work with us. We are happy to serve you and wish you a happy and safe weekend.

We've talked about presidential museums and libraries before in this blog, but do you know which is the first presidential library? Rutherford B. Hayes isn't on the top of anyone's list of famous presidents, but he is the president with the first presidential library. In fact, the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio turns 100 in 2016, and next Friday, December 4, the complex will host a special event to announce plans for its centennial and beyond. If you're near Fremont on that day, we encourage you to attend. While you're there, you'll be able to explore the grounds of Spiegel Grove, the official name of President Hayes' estate. You'll be able to tour his home, which is decorated as it was when he and his wife Lucy and their family resided there in the late 1800s. You'll also be able to visit the museum and see artifacts from President Hayes' time in the military and his time in the White House, including a detailed explanation of how he became president without winning the popular vote. Finally, you'll be able to pay your respects at his final resting place, which is also located on the property. Visiting presidential libraries and museums is a great way to make history come alive, and we encourage you to visit one later this year or in 2016!

American School recently added content to our paper-based Physiology and Health course. The new information covers Safe Haven Laws that are in place in many states. Depending on your state, Safe Haven Laws tell where the accepted locations are that birth parents can leave their baby and up to what age the infant may be, with no questions asked as long as the baby is unharmed. Until the study guide is reprinted, a 2-sided document explaining Safe Haven Laws in great detail will be inserted into the study guide sent to each student who enrolls in the course. Thank you for your cooperation.

This past weekend, two American School employees had the privilege to judge a speech competition at a nearby high school. The teenagers competed in disciplines such as debate, humorous interpretation, dramatic interpretation, impromptu speeches and even broadcast news, and they did a tremendous job. These students probably wouldn't need to take our online Public Speaking course or our paper-based Speech course other than to fine-tune their skills, but we know that public speaking is a big fear for many people. That's why we're proud to offer public speaking courses in online and paper-based formats. Public speaking is a skill that will serve you well no matter what your profession is or will be, and we look forward to you taking a public speaking course with us on your way to your accredited high school diploma.

As you know, we took a big step in our evolution earlier this decade with the launch of online courses. We took another big step earlier this year with the launch of online diploma programs. Now we're thinking about taking another big step in 2016 with the possible launch of middle school courses. We'd like your thoughts on this so that we can best serve our students, parents and schools. Click here to tell us what you think. We promise that every email will be read and every suggestion will be considered. Thank you for helping us create a better American School for this and future generations.

When the ISCA Conference ended last Friday in Indianapolis, so did our 2015 convention year. We visited 22 conventions in 2015, stretching from Washington to Florida and several cities and states in between. Our presence at conventions is two-fold. First, we hope to meet students, parents and school officials who already are studying with us. Second, we enjoy meeting people who have never heard of us before. Maybe they're looking for a homeschool program for themselves or their children. Perhaps they're looking for ways for their students to recover credits. Either way, we are happy to meet them, and we look forward to meeting you and others who are interested in American School in 2016!

No blogs on upcoming Thursdays for awhile (or tomorrow for that matter) so let's do a testimonial today. This one comes from Brandon from New York, who writes, "In my opinion American School is better than public school. It’s easier to understand and it’s simple. The textbooks are a great tool because I can always go back to make sure I got the right answer. Lastly the service is very helpful and the employees really know their jobs." We thank Brandon for those words. We do our best to provide our students with outstanding online or paper-based study materials and give them equally outstanding service as they work toward their accredited high school diplomas. Enroll today and get the same benefits Brandon and all of our students experience!

It's November 11, and the United States is observing Veterans Day. We are proud to have the word "American" in our name, but that wouldn't be possible without the brave men and women who have served our country and protected our freedom over the last 239 years. We owe them and those still serving in the military our deepest gratitude.

We're revving our engines and heading to the Indiana School Counselor Association Fall Conference later this week at the Indianapolis Marriott East. Attendees may visit our booth on November 12 from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and on November 13 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. to learn more about our accredited online and paper-based high school courses. When the ISCA Conference ends, we'll take the checkered flag on a busy convention year that has seen us exhibit at 22 conventions across the country. We'll use the holiday season to cool our engines, but we're already planning a busy convention schedule for 2016. Check this blog after the new year to see where we are headed first!